Local chick production has hit five million birds a month as the poultry sector continues its recovery path following years of decline, it has been learnt.
Speaking at an agriculture conference last week, Zimbabwe Poultry Association of Zimbabwe chairperson Solomon Zawe said this indicated a growth of between 16% and 19% compared to previous years.
He said between 60 000 to 70 000 dozen eggs were being produced every month despite various challenges that continue to affect the sector.
“The small sector has grown and the industry has become the livelihood of many people because of its short cycle,” said Zawe.
“The industry is contributing 6 500 tonnes of meat on a monthly basis. Informal traders constitute 65% of the sector while 35% is contributed by the formal sector.”
Zawe said the industry faced challenges of high utility charges, power cuts and the prohibition of the use of genetically modified organisms to feed the chickens.
He said the future of the industry was bright if the country could implement tighter border controls to avoid smuggling of illegal chicken imports.
